9371. THE INTERNAL SENSE.

Verses 1-2. And He said unto Moses, Come up unto Jehovah, thou and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and bow yourselves afar off; and Moses, he alone, shall come near unto Jehovah; and they shall not come near; and the people shall not come up with him. “And He said unto Moses,” signifies that which concerns the Word in general; “come up unto Jehovah,” signifies conjunction with the Lord; “thou and Aaron,” signifies the Word in the internal sense and the external sense; “Nadab and Abihu,” signifies doctrine from both senses; “and seventy of the elders of Israel,” signifies the chief truths of the church which are of the Word, or of doctrine, and which agree with good; “and bow yourselves afar off,” signifies humiliation and adoration from the heart, and then the influx of the Lord; “and Moses, he alone, shall come near unto Jehovah,” signifies the conjunction and presence of the Lord through the Word in general; “and they shall not come near,” signifies no separate conjunction and presence; “and the people shall not come up with him,” signifies no conjunction whatever with the external apart from the internal.

2234. That a “way” denotes doctrine, is evident from the signification of a “way.” A “way” in the Word is predicated of truths, because truths lead to good and proceed from good ((627) as is evident from the passages adduced in Part First,n. 627); and as a “way” is predicated of truths, it denotes doctrine, because doctrine comprises in one complex all the things which lead to good, that is, to charity.

3168. And they did eat and drink. That this signifies the appropriation of the good and of the truth thus initiated, appears from the signification of “eating,” as being to be communicated and conjoined, thus to be appropriated (see n. 2187, 2343); and as this is predicated of bread, and by “bread” is signified good (n. 276, 680, 2165, 2177, 2187), it is the appropriation of good which is signified by “eating”—and also from the signification of “drinking,” as also being to be communicated and conjoined, thus to be appropriated (see n. 3089); but as this is predicated of wine, and by “wine” is signified truth (n. 1071, 1798), it is the appropriation of truth which is signified by “drinking.” The real case herein is as before said (n. 3167), that when truth is being initiated into good, and still more when it is being conjoined with it, in the rational, the good and truth of the spiritual man, that is, spiritual things, are appropriated to the natural man.